Hinge receiving element

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for mounting a hinge in a fixed position close to but separate from the interior surface of a box component wall member. The apparatus includes a hinge receiving element to which the hinge is directly attached by any known means. The hinge receiving element is suitably dimensioned to fit between and be located by spaced flanges extending inwardly from the upper and lower edges of the wall member. Separable bottom and insert members cooperate with the spaced flanges to wedge the hinge receiving element in place.

United States Patent Inventors Robert G. Bergh;

George G. Bergh, North Attleboro, Mass. App]. No. 760,323 Filed Sept.17, 1968 Patented Mar. 30, 1971 Assignee Bergh Bros. Co., Inc.

Attleboro Falls, Mass.

HINGE RECEIVING ELEMENT 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 220/31, 220/35, 229/44 Int. Cl 865d 43/16 Field ofSearch....220/31, 31

(SR), 35;229/44, 44 (M) [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS2,605,925 8/1952 Morin 229/44(M)X 3,107,807 10/1963 Bergh 220/31X3,128,898 4/1964 Burman 220/35 Primary ExaminerGeorge E. LowranceAtt0rneyChittick, Pfund, Birch, Samuels & Gauthier ABSTRACT: Apparatusfor mounting a hinge in a fixed position close to but separate from theinterior surface of a box component wall member. The apparatus includesa hinge receiving element to which the hinge is directly attached by anyknown means. The hinge-receiving element is suitably dimensioned to fitbetween and be located by spaced flanges extending inwardly from theupper and lower edges of the wall member. Separable bottom and insertmembers cooperate with the spaced flanges to wedge the hinge receivingelement in place.

Patented March 30, 1971 FIG. I

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2

INVENTORS GEORGE G. BERGH ROBERT G. BERGH ATTORNEYS Patented v March 30,1971 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS GEORGE G. BERGH ROBERT G. BERGHATTORNEYS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS 5 GEORGE G. BERGH 7 24 ROBERT G.BERGH ATTORNEYS HINGE RECEIVING ELEMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates to an improved means for locating and mounting hingeson box components.

In the manufacture of decorative boxes, such as for example thoseemployed in the jewelry industry, a primary objective is the attainmentof a highly attractive appearance at the lowest possible cost per unit.In the past, efforts to succeed at this objective have been complicatedby the task of locating and mounting hinges. This is particularly trueof box components incorporating prefinished wall members. For example,some prior art box constructions employ means for attaching hingesdirectly to the component sidewall. This detracts from the overallappearance of the finished product because the exterior wall surface atthe point of hinge-attachment is unavoidably marred by the unsightlyindentations, punctures, etc.

Other prior arttechniques involve attaching the hinge to a mountingelement, which element is in turn fixed to the interior surfaces of thewall by wrapping and/or glueing. The need to resort to use of glue is,however, objectionable because metal elements must first be subjected tospecial cleaning operations in order to insure proper adhesion. Inaddition to being expensive, these special cleaning operations renderthe metal elements particularly susceptible to corrosion. The use ofglue also restricts the range of decorative wrapping materials that maybe employed.

The present invention avoids the above-mentioned problems by attachingthe hinges to hinge-receiving elements, which elements are in turnwedged in place by cooperative frictional engagement with other boxelements such as the bottom and wall members. With this construction,the exterior surfaces of the box components are not punctured orotherwise marred because the hinges are attached directly to thehinge-receiving elements, and not to the component walls. Also, bywedging the hinge-receiving elements in place, the need to employ glueor other adhesives is completely ob viated.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent as the description proceeds with the aid of theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical box construction embodying theconcepts of the present invention with portions of the interiordecorative covering broken away;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the box construction shown in FIG. 1 with thelid closed;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the elements making up the base section;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along lines M of FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of one corner of the base section withportions broken away to better illustrate the cooperative frictionalengagement of the various elements.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a box construction generallyindicated by the reference numeral It) is shown comprising base and lidsections 12 and 14 pivotally connected by means of a hinge assembly 16.

The elements making up base section 12 are shown in a disassembled orexploded relationship in FIG. 3. These elements include a continuouswall member 18, a separate hingereceiving element 20, a hinge assembly16, a decorative bottom member 22, an optional intermediate pad 24 ofsome resilient materials such as for example urethane foam, and aninsert member 26.

Wall member 18 is comprised basically of a continuous metal strip 19having upper and lower inwardly disposed spaced parallel flanges 28 and30. Flanges 28 and 30 need not be of the same width. As hereinillustrated, lower flange 30 is somewhat wider than the upper flange 28.Notches in the flanges 28 and 30 permits the strip 19 to be bent atcorners 17, thus forming sidewalls 18a and 18b, and front and rear wallslilo and 13d. The ends of strip 19 are provided with male and femaleconnecting means which are interlocked as at 21. The rear wall 13d iscut away as at 32 to accommodate the pintle section of hinge assembly16.

Hinge-receiving element 20 is comprised basically of another elongatedstrip 34 of material such as for example steel strip, bent at each endas at 36 to form laterally disposed substantially parallel end flanges38. The hinge-receiving element is also cut away as at 39 again toaccommodate the pintle section of the hinge assembly.

Hinge assembly 16 may be of any known construction embodying pivotallyconnected leaf sections t0 and 42. In the construction hereinillustrated, the hinge leaves 42 are adapted for mounting on thereceiving element 20 in a manner substantially identical to thatillustrated applicants US. Pat. No. 2,804,229. However, it is to beunderstood that any known means may be employed to attach the hingeleaves to hinge receiving element 20. A spring member 43 serves as ameans for urging the hinge leafs to either the open or closed position.

As herein illustrated, the decorative bottom member 22 consists of aprecut blank of any known commercially available material, such as forexample, velvet or satin. The intermediate pad 24 is an optionalcomponent which need not necessarily be included, its primary functionbeing to impart a cushioned or upholstered effect to the bottom exteriorsurface of base section 12.

As herein illustrated, insert member 26 is comprised basically ofanother precut blank 44 of any suitable substantially stiff material,such as for example heavy paper or cardboard. Blank 44 is scored alonglines 46 and its corners are cut away as at 48 to facilitate bendinginto the shape shown in FIG. 3.

The assembly and cooperative relationship of the various elements makingup base section 12 will now be described with further reference to FIGS.4 and 5. In this connection, it should be noted, however, that with theexception of the increases thickness of pad 24', the lid section 14 isidentical in construction to base section 12. Thus, it will beunderstood that the following discussion will apply equally as well toboth the base and lid sections.

The first step in assembling base section 12 involves attaching hingeassembly 16 to the hinge-receiving element 20. As pointed out above,this can be done in any one of a number of ways. In the embodimentherein illustrated, hinge assembly 16 is attached to element 20 by meansdescribed in US. Pat. No. 2,804,229. This means includes retainingflanges 50 and 52 suitably spaced and arranged to cooperate with bentcars 53 on the hinge leaves 42. The spaced retaining flanges 50 and 52are produced by stamping strip 34, thus producing unsightly punctures inthe rear surface. However, as will hereinafter be described in greaterdetail, such puncturing is not objectionable because the hinge receivingelement 20 is ultimately completely enclosed and covered by the otherbox elements.

Having attached hinge assembly 16 to the hinge-receiving element 20, thenext step involves positioning the hingereceiving element within theconfines of wall member 18 and thereafter pushing the element 20 flushagainst the interior face of rear wall 18d. In this connection, itshould be noted that the width of element 20 is slightly less than thedistance between the upper and lower flanges 28 and 30 on wall member18. Moreover, the distance between the corner bends 36 is also slightlyless than the interior length of rear wall 18d. Thus, as thehinge-receiving element is pushed against rear wall 18d, a self-locatingaction takes place with the result that the hinge assembly 16 isaccurately and positively located with respect to rear wall 18d. Thecutaway section 32 receives the hinge pintle, thus accommodatingsubsequent pivotal movement of the lid relative to the base.

The next step in assembling base section 12 involves positioning thebottom member 22 in place within the confines of wall member 18. Bottommember 22 is sufficiently flexible to permit its deflection when beingpressed past the narrower upper wall flange 28, while being suitablydimensioned to fit tightly between the sides of wall member 18. Thus,the front and rear edges 22a and 22b of bottom member 22 abut tightlyagainst the interior surfaces of front wall 13c and the lower edge ofhinge-receiving element 20 (See FIG. 41). This produces a wedging actionwhich effectively forces the hinge receiving element flush against rearwail 18d. At the same time the side edges 22c and 22d of bottom member22 force the end flanges 38 of hinge receiving element 20 against thesidewalls 18a and 18b of wall member 18. The bottom member 22 is pusheddownwardly until it rests upon the lower wall flange 30. Thus it can beseen by positioning bottom member 22 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, thehinge receiving element 20 is effectively wedged in place and precludedfrom further movement.

The optional padding member 24 may then be placed over bottom member 22.Since this padding member preferably consists of a soft resilientmaterial, other means must be provided to hold it in place. For thisreason, an insert member 26 of the type herein illustrated is provided.The insert is simply pushed downwardly into the cavity defined by wallmember 18 and bottom and pad members 22 and 24. The side flaps 54 oninsert member 26 will initially be bent inwardly by the restrictiveaction of upper flange 28. However, at the point when the insert memberis flush against pad 24, the latter in turn being flush against bottommember 22, the upper edges 56 of the flaps 54 will be below upper wallflange 28. This permits the flaps 54 to spring outwardly against thesides of wall member 18. The flaps are thereafter locked beneath upperwall flange 28.

The same procedure would apply to the assembly of lid section 14.Thereafter, a final decorative covering 58 of some suitable materialsuch as for example silk, could be applied to the interior surfaces ofboth the base and lid sections to impart a finished appearance to theinterior of the box.

As previously indicated, this construction affords a number of importantand highly desirable features heretofore unavailable with previouslyemployed box constructions. To begin with, the exterior surfaces of thebox adjacent to the hinge (See FIG. 2) are completely unmarked by anypunctures, indentations, etc. that would otherwise be needed if thehinge were attached directly to the wall member 18. This is accomplishedwithout resorting to additional wrapping and/or glueing. Thus, metalcomponents need not be subjected to expensive preliminary cleaningoperations. This construction also makes it possible to employ a widerange of decorative fabrics, without fear of damaging such fabrics byglueing during final assembly. All of the elements wedgingly cooperateto produce a finished product which is both attractive and sturdy, theoverall result being one of extremely high quality. Experience has alsoindicated that when the lid section is opened and closed, the elementsto which the hinge leaves are attached are caused to bend or flex. inprior art constructions where the hinges are attached directly to thecomponent walls, this results in unsightly deflection and bending of thebox walls. In the present arrangement, since the hinges are attached tothe hinge receiving elements 20, only the latter elements bend ordeflect. This occurs without imparting similar deflection and bending tothe box walls, and at a location which is completely hidden from view.Moreover, any such deflection is opposed and to a considerable extentminimized by the fact that the end flanges 38 on each hinge receivingelement 20 are held between the upper and lower flanges 28 and 30 on thewall member.

It is our intention to cover all changes and modifications of theembodiment herein described which do not depart from the spirit andscope of the invention.

We claim:

1. Means for fixing a hinge relative to the interior surface of a boxcomponent wall, said means comprising in combination: a hinge-receivingelement; means for attaching the hinge to said hinge-receiving element;inwardly extending flanges on said wall, said flanges being spacedlaterally to accommodate positioning of said hinge receiving elementtherebetween; and, wedge means cooperating with said wall and theflanges thereon to wedge said hinge-receiving element in place againstsaid wall.

2. The combination claimed in claim 1 further characterized by saidflanges being coextensive with the upper and lower edges of said wall,the width of said hinge-receiving element being approximately equal tothe distance between said flanges.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 2 further characterized by saidbox component wall having at least three sides, the said wedge meansbeing operative to wedge said hinge receiving element against theinterior surface of one of said sides, the length of saidhinge-receiving element being approximately equal to the said one side.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 3 further characterized by saidhinge-receiving element having end flanges extending laterallytherefrom, the said end flanges being located between and cooperatingwith the flanges on said wall to resist angular movement of said hingereceiving element relative to said wall.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 3 wherein said wedge means iscomprised in part of a bottom member supported by one of the flanges onsaid wall, said bottom member being wedged between said hinge-receivingelement and the sides of said wall member other than the said one side.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 5 wherein said wedge means isfurther characterized by insert means wedged between said bottom memberand the other of said flanges on said wall.

7. For use with a box construction having base and lid sectionspivotally interconnected by means of a hinge assembly, each of saidsections having wall members with first flange members extendinginwardly from the upper and lower edges thereof, means for securing thehinge assembly relative to the wall member of each of said sections,said means comprising: a pair of hinge-receiving elements; means forattaching the leaves of said hinge assembly to said hinge-receivingelements; second flange members extending laterally from the ends ofsaid hinge-receiving elements, the distance between the outside edges ofsaid second flange members being approximately equal to the distancebetween said first flange members; and, wedge means for wedging saidhinge-receiving elements flush against the interior surfaces of the wallmembers of said base and lid sections, whereupon said second flangemembers are located between said first flange members to cooperate withsaid first flange members in resisting angular movement of saidhinge-receiving elements relative to the wall members of said base andlid sections.

1. Means for fixing a hinge relative to the interior surface of a boxcomponent wall, said means comprising in combination: a hinge-receivingelement; means for attaching the hinge to said hinge-receiving element;inwardly extending flanges on said wall, said flanges being spacedlaterally to accommodate positioning of said hinge receiving elementtherebetween; and, wedge means cooperating with said wall and theflanges thereon to wedge said hinge-receiving element in place againstsaid wall.
 2. The combination claimed in claim 1 further characterizedby said flanges being coextensive with the upper and lower edges of saidwall, the width of said hinge-receiving element being approximatelyequal to the distance between said flanges.
 3. The combination asclaimed in claim 2 further characterized by said box component wallhaving at least three sides, the said wedge means being operative towedge said hinge receiving element against the interior surface of oneof said sides, the length of said hinge-receiving element beingapproximately equal to the said one side.
 4. The combination as claimedin claim 3 further characterized by said hinge-receiving element havingend flanges extending laterally therefrom, the said end flanges beinglocated between and cooperating with the flanges on said wall to resistangular movement of said hinge receiving element relative to said wall.5. The combination as claimed in claim 3 wherein said wedge means iscomprised in part of a bottom member supported by one of the flanges onsaid wall, said bottom member being wedged between said hinge-receivingelement and the sides of said wall member other than the said one side.6. The combination as claimed in claim 5 wherein said wedge means isfurther characterized by insert means wedged between said bottom memberand the other of said flanges on said wall.
 7. For use with a boxconstruction having base and lid sections pivotally interconnected bymeans of a hinge assembly, each of said sections having wall memberswith first flange members extending inwardly from the upper and loweredges thereof, means for securing the hinge assembly relative to thewall member of each of said sections, said means comprising: a pair ofhinge-receiving elements; means for attaching the leaves of said hingeassembly to said hinge-receiving elements; second flange membersextending laterally from the ends of said hinge-receiving elements, thedistance between the outside edges of said second flange members beingapproximately equal to the distance between said first flange members;and, wedge means for wedging said hinge-receiving elements flush againstthe interior surfaces of the wall members of said base and lid sections,whereupon said second flange members are located between said firstflange members to cooperate with said first flange members in resistingangular movement of said hiNge-receiving elements relative to the wallmembers of said base and lid sections.